Hanwha’s plan for MUM-T with heavy autonomous vehicles

Hanwha Aerospace is developing a family of heavy autonomous fighting vehicles including direct and indirect fire platforms. While it offers the potential for reduced casualties, the success of the concept will depend on cracking the “one to many” paradigm for effective MUM-T operations.

BLUF: 

• Hanwha Aerospace outlined its plans for a family of heavy autonomous fighting vehicles during IAV 2026. 
• The vehicles are intended for manned-unmanned teaming to provide direct combat mass at the forward edge of battle. 

A representative of Hanwha Aerospace has outlined intriguing plans for a fleet of heavy autonomous fighting vehicles that will be developed between 2026 and 2031 on January 21, during the IQPC International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) conference in Farnborough. The concept follows on Hanwha’s earlier announced intent to develop an autonomous variant of its K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer. 

Many countries are facing declining birth rates, but for South Korea (and others in the region) the issue is becoming severe. South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, are classed as “super-aged societies” with around 20% of their populations comprising people aged 65 or older. With the world’s lowest birthrate, South Korea has seen its armed forces shrink by 20% since 2019. This has resulted in a total strength of around 450,000, with a loss of 17 divisions since 2006, the BBC reported in August, 2025. 

So, as the country seeks out ways to maintain its combat, uncrewed platforms and manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) are unsurprisingly emerging as areas of interest. 

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The Hanwha representative explained that the company was planning to develop a core hull which it calls Heavy UGV (unmanned ground vehicle). The hulls will be used to carry a variety of turrets and payloads that will broadly increase the firepower of South Korean forces. 

The Heavy UGV core platform is expected to utilise a diesel hybrid electric drive, which is an important point to touch upon. Propulsion for armoured vehicles was a hot topic during this year’s IAV, and there is broad consensus that a transition to hybrid electric drive will happen sooner or later for defence. Petrol hybrid drives are common in the civilian world, but diesel less so. 

For the military, however, diesel offers greater energy density per litre and most armed forces will have existing logistics infrastructure set up around diesel. NATO has the single fuel policy, which means everything from generators to tanks must run on JP-8 (diesel). This means that only one type of fuel is needed. Diesel is also more resistant to exploding, to the extent that fuel tanks are used as part of a vehicle’s armour in the case of vehicles like the BMP-3. 

Outside of this, Hanwha’s Heavy UGV (H-UGV) will also be able to engage targets autonomously, albeit with a human in the loop and the ability to remotely control the platforms as required. They will be heavy, in the 35 tonne category, but light enough to use composite rubber tracks. The weight ensure the platforms are big, and well-protected enough to escort tanks and other fighting vehicles wherever they need to go. 

The stated protection levels are between STANAG 4569 level 4 and 6, which indicated ballistic protection from 14.5 mm heavy machine gun rounds at the lower end, and 30 mm armour piercing rounds at the upper. The speaker outlined four variants on the current research and development road map: 

• MUM-T self-propelled mortar: Goal to develop unmanned mortar turret between 2027 and 2031 before hull integration with H-UGV. It is expected to carry a 120 mm mortar with a rate of fire of 8 rounds per minute or more, and a range out to 15 km. The rate of fire is fairly standard for 120 mm mortars, but the range would be quite exceptional. The requirement also includes increased precision and the ability to fire within one minute of coming to a stop. 3-4 self-propelled mortars will be controlled by a crewed Fire Direction Centre Vehicle with a crew of 2-3. 

• NLOS-FOSV: The Non Line-of-Sight Forward Observer and Fire Support Vehicle (NLOS-FOSV), is to be an optionally manned vehicle to expand ISTAR and precision strike capabilities to the company level and below. Development of this vehicle is expected between 2026 and 2028, and the representative said that the hull and mission modules are in place already. It will be equipped with launchers for NLOS ATGMs and ISR drones, as well as a sensor mast. The concept of operations (CONOPS) for the vehicle outlined by the representative, indicated that the NLOS-FOSV would be positioned behind a forward section made up of manned and unmanned platforms. It would use its drones to find targets and either prosecute them using its ATGMs, or pass targets to waiting artillery systems. 

• N-MCV: The Next-Mission Command Vehicle is expected to provide future command and control with a crew of two and command team of six. It will be fast-tracked between 2026 and 2028, and provided with a counter-drone capability in the form of Frankenburg missiles, a remote weapon station, and active protection system. It will also have antennas for low earth orbit SATCOM and various other sensors. 
• N-MBV: The Next-Mine Breach Vehicle will be unmanned and designed to accompany the Korean Combat Engineering Vehicle. Development is scheduled for between 2027 and 2029 and the vehicle will be able to carry different types of engineering equipment like track-width and full-width mine ploughs and dozer blades. It will also carry a mine clearing line charge, but the block II version of the N-MBV will be required to clear larger areas of mines with a carpet clearing device. The indicated CONOPS portrayed an uncrewed vehicle called BREVIS using a radar to detect a minefield along with a UAV, before the N-MBV was deployed remotely to breach the mine belt. The vehicle would then guide friendly vehicles through the passage. 

The representative also pointed out that the whole concept will rely on a robust and extensive communications infrastructure, showing one slide depicting low earth orbit comms from OneWeb and MANETs for each group of vehicles. 

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Another slide showed a variety of combat configurations including H-UGV vehicles with 30 and 40 mm cannons, as well as one carrying a 105 mm high pressure gun. This indicates that the platforms will be expected to carry a lot of combat power to the enemy. If the programme is to increase South Korea’s combat mass, then it will have to reach service, but there will also need to be a realisation of the one-to-many paradigm. Which is where one user, or team, is able to control several unmanned vehicles simultaneously. Without this, each UGV will require at least one operator, which separates the user from the most dangerous fighting, but does not increase combat mass.

Calibre comment: MUM-T, the future of warfare?

Manned-unmanned teaming in the land domain has many obvious benefits and seemingly direct routes to increasing combat capability. A battery of unmanned howitzers led by a crewed vehicle, for instance, is ethically straight forwards. All of the core functions – loading and firing the howitzer, driving it – can be carried out autonomously. The target entry can easily come from a human. Yes, there are some challenges around off-road navigation, but they will be addressed in due course. The concept as a whole seems technologically simpler than a loyal wingman. The US is exploring the concept for indirect fire in several guises like the ROGUE NMESIS and Army Autonomous Missile Launcher, which provide anti-ship missiles and the GMLRS family of munitions on autonomous platforms respectively. Using UGVs for reconnaissance by fire and to engage heavily defended enemy defenses are also sensible areas for the use of MUM-T. It is therefore surprising that more militaries are not pursuing the concept with more gusto. It is certainly an area for development and further research! 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on January 22, 2026. The lead image shows the R&D roadmap for the MUM-T programme. Credit: Calibre Defence.